I think getting an offer from somewhere else works out well for both sides. It gives a clear indication on how much you are worth on the market without having t

I think getting an offer from somewhere else works out well for both sides. It gives a clear indication on how much you are worth on the market without having to guess from both sides. From employees's pov - if a company would increase my salary and I didn't have actual info what others were willing to offer I would still be second-guessing - would I be better off somewhere else, how do I know if what they are offering is fair? If I ask for a specific raise without having any other offers how will the employer know that I'm not BSing? It's very difficult to know the fair price without data from competitors. I guess what one should do is save enough money so they could last at least 6 months without having to rely on a job. This will open so many doors and remove any desperation during negotiations. Then it won't matter if they start to look for a replacement. And you already have evidence that other companies will be happy to hire you. Otherwise it's probably gut feeling whether the company is the type to be reasonable about business and not take things personally.